Current telephone communications occur over wireless cellular networks, such as GSM, CDMA, and CDMA2000, Voice Over Internet (VOIP), or circuit switched network, such as PSTN. Current state of the art of most telephones used with such networks is that each telephone is restricted for use with only one specific network. For example, a cellular phone works in a cellular network; a VOIP phone works in VOIP network, and a landline phone works in a circuit switched network. Such limitations imply that an in-progress telephone communication cannot be seamlessly switched among cellular, VOIP, and circuit switched networks without losing the connection.
Such wireless networks use regulated portions of the radio spectrum and are shared by many users. The infrastructure costs of wireless networks are relatively high due to the size and complexity of the network equipment. There is a wide variance in the performance of different wireless networks. For example, a conventional wireless cellular network covers a relatively large geographical area, but provides a relatively low bandwidth. Other wireless networks, such as CDMA2000-EV-DO/DV networks, offer higher bandwidth and enhanced data services, such as web browsing. However, these networks also pack many users into a relatively small portion of the regulated spectrum. Other types of wireless networks are adapted to improve spectral efficiency with increased speed and smaller coverage areas. For example, an IEEE 802.11x (or WiFi) network may transmit at speeds up to 11 Mbps using a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) mode or at speeds up to 54 Mbps using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) mode.
A network wireless access point conforming to a WiFi (e.g., IEEE 802.11b) network may cover an area of a few hundred feet in diameter. Each such network access point is connected to a larger network (e.g., Internet). One such example is WiFi VOIP (Wireless Fidelity Voice over Internet Protocol), through which a communication device user can place a wireless telephone call over the Internet, using the technology specified in IEEE 802.xx at the network access point. VOIP is a method for taking analog audio signals and converting them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet. Conventional VOIP telephone communications are enabled by VOIP network carriers, which utilize VOIP networks (e.g. the Internet), to place VOIP based telephone calls. VOIP enabled and compatible networks include VOIP switching for proper routing and billing of VOIP based telephone calls.
In order to cover larger geographical areas, a relatively large number of IEEE 802.11x, for example, network access points and relatively large wire-line back haul networks are required. In part, due to the relatively small geographical coverage area of each network access point, the resulting IEEE 802.11x based network may thus be prohibitively expensive to set up. Further, the small coverage areas may lead to many “dead zones” in which mobile communication device users are unable to place telephone calls using the VOIP network.
Conventional VOIP phones, which function in a WiFi coverage area (hotspot) corresponding to a WiFi access point, offers relatively inexpensive telephone communications. However, the WiFi availability is limited due to the small geographical area supported by each WiFi access point.
Conventional cellular phones, which function in a cell coverage area within the cellular network, are relatively expensive for telephone communications and have limited multimedia capabilities. Cellular networks and availability to the network covers a much wider, extensive geographical area.
Conventional landline phones, which function in a circuit switched network such as most residences, do not offer extensive telephone communication features, for example video. Such landline phones also do not offer the mobility provided by mobile communications devices such as the VOIP phones or the cellular phones.